


The Art of Swordplay

by neriasuranas



Series: The Neria Surana Chronicles [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Blushing, F/M, Fluff, these two are adorable and I hate it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 18:23:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9397433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neriasuranas/pseuds/neriasuranas
Summary: A mage had no business wanting to learn how to use a sword, but after learning the lost art of the Arcane Warriors, Neria wants to make sure the legacy is carried on properly. Even if that means embarrassing herself in front of her friend in the process.[I guess technically canon-divergent.]





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is something I wasn't planning on writing until later on, but it got bumped up in my nonexistent scheduling due to my friend being very upset with me for making my Warden so miserable.
> 
> So, enjoy some cute, fluffy awkwardness!

Neria had never given much thought to swords before. They were for the Templar’s, for soldiers and warriors; certainly not something a mage should be handling. She hardly felt comfortable wielding a staff in battle, trying to add a sword on top of that felt like it would prove too drastic a mistake to risk. But with all the knowledge given to her by the ancient spirit, with the weight of what could be one of the only true links to her people’s history, she was beginning to reconsider.

What if she was the only person left alive that carried this knowledge?

The thought was more than a little daunting. Neria stared down at one of the swords they had collected from the ruins, trying to devise a good plan of how to deal with this. People spent years, lifetimes learning how to properly use a sword, and that was with all the proper help and guidance; and probably not during a Blight. The elf closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, ready to give up entirely. She wasn’t fit to wield a sword, she was a mage, an elf, no one would take her _seriously_.

“Everything alright?”

Neria jumped a little, body twisting in a poor attempt to shield the sword from view as she stared up, face pink in her surprise. Alistair stood a few feet away, watching her curiously. For a couple seconds, she said nothing, distracted by the image of her friend wearing nothing but a loose tunic and pair of trousers. They had been traveling together for a little over two weeks now, but Neria had so far only really seen any of her companions in their usual armor, never anything so casual. She wasn’t sure what surprised her most about his appearance; seeing him without his armor, or deciding that she quite liked the sight.

She realized too late that she had been staring, and by the time her eyes snapped back up to his, she could only hope that the bright red of her cheeks might be mistaken for the glow of the fire. “Yes,” she said after a second, looking away. “Why do you ask?”

Alistair shifted a little. “Well,” he started, gesturing towards where she was sitting. “You have been sitting there staring at something for the last hour or so. I wanted to make sure you weren’t ill.” Neria had to resist the urge to hide her face again; of course the others would have noticed her sitting here. It wasn’t as if they had much privacy at their little camp, and she hadn’t made much of an effort to hide away. “What is it that has grabbed your attention so thoroughly, anyways?”

“A sword,” Neria told him, picking it up to show him. “It’s one of the ones we found back at the ruins.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, eyebrows raising. “What’s so interesting about it? Looks like a normal blade to me.”

Neria looked away again, feeling silly. A mage had no business wanting to learn swordplay. “I was thinking about, I don’t know, learning how to,” she started to say, letting her voice trail off. She could feel that the tips of her ears had gone red, the heat slowly spreading further across her face the longer the pause went on. Alistair was still standing nearby, waiting for an answer of some sort. “I want to learn how to use a sword.”

She expected him to laugh, to shake his head and inform her that no mage should be bothering with swordplay. When no such reaction came, the elf allowed herself to look up at him, astounded to see him regarding her with an almost serious expression. “This wouldn’t happen to be a reaction to what happened back at the ruins, would it?” he asked. “If you’re worried about enemies getting too close, I can always stay near you.” Neria looked up, but his gaze had shifted, hand digging in his pocket for something. He had sounded sincere, but now he looked almost sheepish, as if he had spoken without thinking. The very thought made her smile a little, and she was glad that he seemed intent on not meeting her gaze.

“It’s nothing like that,” she said, glancing down at it. “That spirit we encountered, the one with the phylactery, it taught me all this magic, and I keep running over everything in my mind and it appears to me that these Arcane Warriors of old combined their magic with close combat. If I’m going to use this magic, I’d like to do it right.”

Alistair knelt down next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat that seemed to pour off of him. She had no idea how he did it, constantly staying so warm like that even after the sun had gone down. “That doesn’t sound so bad,” he said almost thoughtfully, and when she met his gaze, he was grinning.

“Will you teach me?”

As soon as she voiced it, Neria wished she hadn’t. Hot blush settled, and she quickly looked away, hands reaching up to cover her face. What was she _thinking_ asking him like that? He had his own worries, his own problems to deal with; why would he bother helping a helpless mage try and learn something like swordplay? It was foolish, it was insane! She was just getting ready to mutter some form of an apology before fleeing to her tent when she heard him chuckle a little. “You want me to teach you?” he asked. Neria allowed herself another quick glance up at him, readying herself to be mocked, but all she found in his eyes was a sort of pleasant surprise. “Why not Sten? Or Leliana, she probably knows how to wield a sword.”

Neria shifted, dragging a finger against the dirt. “I thought, I don’t know,” she started, carefully hugging her arms across the tops of her knees so she could hide the lower part of her face against them. “I thought it might be better to learn from someone who I’m more familiar with.” _Maker._ “I - I mean, you were taught as a Templar, wh-whereas Sten uses a greatsword and Leliana, she was trained as a bard.” The elf let out an exasperated breath and lowered the rest of her face into the space between her knees. “It sounds stupid, forget I asked.”

Alistair laughed again, and a warm hand appeared on her back. “I’d be honored,” he said. She heard him rise, dared to lift her head up as well. “Well come on, you aren’t going to learn anything if you stay all bunched up like that.”

Heart frantically beating against her chest, the elf rose as well, grabbing the sword with her. The rest of their camp seemed to be asleep, even Sten was nowhere to be seen. “Alright, well, I guess we’ll start with how you want to wield it,” he said, taking a step back. “One-handed, two?”

“One,” Neria told him after a moment. “So I can still use magic with the other hand if I need to.”

He nodded, and began to shift his legs a little into a stance. “One of the most important things you need to know,” he explained, looking between his feet and her, “is the proper way to stand. If you let yourself become unbalanced, you won’t stand a chance.” She nodded, trying to move herself into the stance he had made. Alistair watched her for a little bit before relaxing his own and stepping towards her. “Your back is too hunched over,” he explained, taking a step closer. “Relax a little.” Despite his words, Neria felt anything but relaxed. The longsword was heavy in her hand, difficult to keep in the air the way she was, and even if it wasn’t, his watchful stare would have been more than enough to keep her body tensed. He stepped a little closer, one hand reaching to the small of her back and the other gently touching against her shoulder.

Neria tensed a little more, his touch welcome but mostly unfamiliar. As he brought one hand up her back, he gently pushed her shoulder back. A simple enough gesture, one others had done before, but the elf couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he did so. His gaze flickered between where his hands were situated and her eyes, and for a second, Neria almost swore that the color of his cheeks was darker than usual, as if he was blushing a little as well. The thought alone was enough to ensure that her blush - which was no doubt obvious by now - would not be going away any time soon.

They had never been this close before, Neria realized. Alistair was far from unfriendly, had been nothing _but_ a friend since they met, but this was entirely new. He was close enough that she could see flecks of gold in his brown eyes, the fire dancing across them from the fire not far away. To her amazement, Alistair appeared just as transfixed on her, eyes widening a little as he regarded her. Neria blinked, suddenly very aware that his arms had relaxed around her, keeping her in place. She watched as his throat bobbed slightly, mouth opening as if to say something but neither of them seemed capable of forming words.

She couldn’t be sure what he was feeling, but all Neria could focus on was the warmth that had permeated throughout her body, the stillness of her hands as she looked up at him. It was unfamiliar but not unwanted, and it wasn’t until she heard Barkspawn snuffle in his sleep that whatever spell they were under broke.

Alistair moved away first, clearing his throat and scratching at his jaw as he turned. “Like, uh, like that,” he said. Neria blinked a few more times to shake off what remained of _whatever_ that haze had been before nodding.

“Seems simple enough.” She glanced down at her feet, adjusting her stance a little. “What next?”

He was quiet, no doubt deliberating where to even begin trying to teach a mage something like swordplay. “How about we try blocking? That’s always a good thing to know,” he said after a minute, nodding to himself. “And, it can be done with a staff as well, so even if I’m not close enough to defend you, you won’t be knocked down.” Neria nodded, trying to ignore the way his words gave wind to butterflies in her chest so she could square out her shoulders. The longsword still dangled almost uselessly from her right hand, and she flexed her fingers for a second before raising it up. “You might want to try it with both hands,” Alistair offered, holding a finger up. He jogged back towards his tent and reappeared a moment later with his own longsword in hand, remaining a few feet away from her. “I’ll come at you, just try and stop my sword, alright?” he explained, flashing her a grin. “I’ll try not to actually do you any harm.”

Neria grinned back. “I won’t let you,” she promised. His laugh rang in her ears, had her heart frantic, and it was almost enough to distract her as he began to position himself. The elf tried to clear her mind, but she still couldn’t quite forget the way his skin had felt brushed against hers.

“Ready?”

No, not at all. “Ready,” the elf said, clenching her jaw. He nodded, a quick jut his chin before stepping forward. His blade swung through the air and Neria instinctively stepped back, right arm shakily raising to catch the blow. The two blades connected for a second before Alistair’s slid off, and for a brief second, Neria thought perhaps he would step back and have her do it again, but he continued, swiveling on his heel to bring it around again. This time, she responded quicker, one foot taking a step back to keep her balance as the two swords connected once more. Unlike last time, he did not pull away, pushing against his blade so that she was forced to push back.

But Alistair was stronger than she was, and even if she had been training for longer, Neria had little doubt that she could have held him away for long. He slid the blade down, catching it on the guard before pulling the weapon clear out of her hands. She heard herself gasp a little, frozen in place as the blade fell to the ground with a dull thud. Her heart was racing, pounding against her ribcage painfully as she stared up at Alistair. He looked serious, but it soon melted away into a warm grin. “Not bad for your first time,” he said, pulling his weapon away. “Your reaction times are good, you just need to get a little stronger.”

The elf nodded, looking away towards the sword laying on the ground. If that had been an enemy, she would be dead. They wouldn’t have hesitated, wouldn’t have held anything back. The thought hurt more than she expected, so she quickly turned away, rubbing at her elbow. “Maybe it would be better if I just stuck to the magic I know,” she muttered, kneeling down.

“What? But I thought you said…”

“I did. But you saw how easily you disarmed me. I’d be useless in a real fight.”

Alistair didn’t say anything, but she could hear him stab the blade into the ground and move closer, kneeling down next to her. “You think that was bad?” he said with a chuckle. “When I first started my training, there was this kid, maybe a year or so older than I was, who took no greater delight than to beat me around. I don’t just mean for training purposes, either. He held nothing back, just came right at me as if I had been practicing my entire life.”

“Did you ever get better than him?” the elf asked curiously, reaching up to brush some hair out of her eyes. Alistair grinned again.

“Eventually, I would imagine. At least well enough to hold my own. He got bored of always winning and went on to terrorize other kids,” he explained. “My point was, I think, that I’ve been on the student side of this. It can be frustrating at first, but if you want to learn, you have to keep trying. You know, all that ‘if you just believe in yourself’ nonsense the Chantry sister’s spew.” Neria laughed a little, and his grin widened. “With more practice, you’ll be a great Arcane Warrior.” A hand appeared on her back again, warmth seeping through her shirt. She felt blush coming to her cheeks and looked away, trying to contain it before it spread to her ears and shoulders. After a few seconds, Alistair rose again, offering her a hand up.

She took it gratefully, not at all surprised to see her own small hand engulfed in his larger one as he gently hoisted her to her feet. Neria stumbled a little, free hand automatically shooting into the air to try and stop herself on the closest object before falling to the ground. She collided with him, and he stepped back to stop them both from tumbling back to the ground, one hand still clutching hers and the other catching her elbow. She looked up at to apologize, but the words stuck in her throat just as they had been earlier, heart once more thundering away. She could feel it drumming through even her palms, a steady rhythm that she was almost certain he would be able to feel. “Sorry,” Neria breathed after a second, shaking her head and pulling away from him. She tried to ignore the reluctance with which she moved, stepping back from him and running a hand through her hair. “Thank you.”

Alistair blinked once. “My pleasure,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’ll…see you tomorrow, I guess? You know, assuming we aren’t overrun by any lingering werewolves or restless spirits.” She nodded, but neither of them turned away immediately. “Sleep well, Neria,” he said when he finally started to move, eyes soft before he turned fully. Neria watched him for a bit before turning as well, glancing once over her shoulder and seeing him do the same. More color - if that was even possible - flooded her cheeks and she muttered a good night that he couldn’t hear before ducking into her tent.

As soon as she was inside the small tent, the elf collapsed onto her bedroll, covering her face in her hands and trying not to groan. _Andraste’s pike, have I always been so awkward?_ She asked herself, scowling at her pillow as if it were to blame. She remained like that until the blush finally died down, slowly moving her hands away from her face and rolling over so that she was staring up at the dark. Neria could still feel his body against hers, however slight it had been, the surprise in his eyes as he caught her, the way he had smiled when she could finally stand to look at him.

Was this one of those ‘crushes’ girls used to giggle about back at the Circle? Neria bit her lip, thinking of the Templar Cullen and how he always stammered when she came near, the way his face seemed permanently flushed. She moved one of her arms so that it was laying across her eyes, pressing it down so that she could see lights dancing. If this was a crush, it certainly could not have been timed worse. They had a _Blight_ on their hands, they were the only Grey Wardens left in Ferelden! This was no time to daydream of something as inconsequenstial as romance or _crushed_ , however much her heart yearned to disagree. If they had met under better circumstances, perhaps…

Neria shook her head, tried to banish such thoughts as she climbed under the blanket and pulled it up over her head. Sleep had never come easily to her, and now with the constant whisper of the taint in her veins, it seemed even more difficult. But she was exhausted from the journey, from the Ruins and everything else that had happened, and when she finally forced her eyes close, they did not want to reopen. 

Just as she was starting to drift off, a thought came to her: it had not been her heartbeat she had felt when her hands were pressed against his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> if anyone is curious, the friend that I mentioned is [Tijgertie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Tijgertje/pseuds/Tijgertje), and she and her wonderful girlfriend ([carouselfancy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/carouselfancy/pseuds/carouselfancy)) are the authors of [Heart-Eyes Emoji](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4944457/chapters/11349493) so if you haven't already, you should check them out!
> 
> and if you really want to, follow me on [tumblr](http://thewardencomander.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Thank you again!


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